WARNING: The following contains spoilers for "Own," from Superman: Red and Blue #2 from Steven T. Seagle, Duncan Rouleau and Pat Brosseau, on sale now.
In the world of Superman, Smallville is a simple yet sacred place that many hold dear. It's the foundation of shows like Smallville and Superman & Lois, and comics have shown, for years, the importance of the Kent farm and the small corn-fed town in general. Simply put, Smallville is a formative part of the Man of Steel's superhero identity.
But in Superman: Red and Blue #2, Ma Kent comes face to face with a nasty problem from two of its citizens. Luckily, it's immediately fixed thanks to Martha's sharp-tongue and wit.
Ma Kent is at Smallville Eats, waiting for Clark on game-day for the Crows. But at the diner, she's killing time by speaking to townsfolk Trudy and Nora. The two condescendingly sit down at her table and inquire if she sees Clark as her own. It's rude, intrusive and filled with derision, but rather than divert from the conversation and disavow the women, a patient Ma Kent teaches them a sassy lesson as she sips tea and throws shade.
Martha makes it clear that it doesn't matter who his real parents are, they adopted him and he's theirs. She mentions the struggles they endured, how she's up all night worrying about his mental state, how he ignored advice in the past, and simply, how proud she is when he puts his life on the line for all-nighters. The ladies think it's his journalism career she's mentioning, but obviously, Martha is talking about seing Superman beaten and bruised, or when he's off fighting Lex Luthor and other rogues.
Just as Martha's compelled to tell them to shove it, Clark comes in. She stops dead in her tracks from rebuffing them and heads out, proud with her son. The nosey women just have to get one in, letting him know he's as handsome as "Johnny," his late father.
Ma Kent makes it clear to them it's "Jonathan," which hints that they were jealous he chose her and thought these barbs would bring her down. Instead, they demonstrate where Clark got his fire from as she stamps out the notion that he or any adopted kid is an outsider to the families that took them in.
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